#what I'm trying to say is. leafpool my beloved

[skitteringbug]

the way the three reacted to leafpool being their mother makes me want to start eating plaster. why were they so snotty about it dude. am i misremembering something i feel like im going insane because i havent seen anyone talk about this recently but it still bothers me. i understand the initial shock and despair but them continuing to be shitty and avoidant read as super immature to me idk. sorry if this is a dogshit take feel free to tell me how wrong i am

[troutfur]

thistlebush helping kill silverstream, but also maybe helping shelter leafpool and squirrelflight and their kits from the worst of snow even in such a weak power level while they rest in a nearby tree or something, because even if leafpool shouldnt have kits, even if theyre half clan and he's not happy about that she's still his MEDICINE CAT and the only one at that, and by starclan he will NOT let his medicine cat get frostbite because she's stupid even if he's not fully happy with her for being stupid with the running off thing or whatever replaces it in this au because i know people change this arc a lot on who the sire is and how it happens but she's their only medicine cat and the plan she has to put this behind her and move on is a good one, she's clearly repenting unlike stupid graystripe insert obligatory she shouldnt have to but like its thistleclaw here

maybe his tugging on her fur was one of the reasons squirrelflight agreed, as if it was him trying to go "yes, cmon, its perfect, we can fix this, say yes"

I just...i love his nuance, i love him, i hold your portrayals of mudclaw and thistleclaw so gently in my hands as wrong but nuanced cats who did bad things, and dont regret it, but had interesting nuanced reasons why and are capable of more then just those things

✍️

Y'all are on fire with this Thistlebush scenarios.

Yes, yes! I can imagine that, with the move and them no longer having a RiverClan border the new location he took root in after the stray seeds caught in someone's pelt could be somewhere aroudn the other border, near WindClan. He could have seen Leafpool go out, give her a scratch as she left, as bad as he could given his power level and the limitations of his magic to punish her for deserting the clan and when she comes back that same way... He's surprised by her loyalty and lets her pass, only leaving a stray seed or pollen on her so he has a connection to her.

I can see him using that liaison to the camp to listen in on her and Squilf as they are planning and fretting and with what little power he still has manifesting in their dreams, pointing them to a hiding place, letting them know about a place where they can rest and give birth to their kits.

The three are dangerous to StarClan. The prophecy plus the fact they came from a codebreaker doesn't endear them to the kittens. For all they care let Leafpool bear the consequences of her actions, whatever those may be.

Firestar is dead, Hawkfrost's plan succeeded, and Brambleclaw is carrying his involvement to the grave as he ingratiates himself with the very rule-following Brackenstar. Leafpool is beloved, but without her dad in the highest office will she be granted leniency? StarClan doesn't really care, but if not, two birds with one stone eh?

Thistleclaw has other ideas. He can't help directly, and he hates the idea of these kits in principle. But the Clan having a medicine cat is important. She better not repeat this fuckup, though. He has his limits.

Aaaaah, thank you! <3 Putting out these concepts and playing with the ideas of StarClan as the embodiment of the historical memory of the Clans is very, very interesting to me. I'm glad it's resonating and really hitting for y'all.

My plans for Haneossia are very all-encompassing and ambitious. So many moving parts and concepts to explore, not only with the supernatural side of things but also with the default polyamory dynamics. I'm still trying to figure out how to realize it all within a format that is comfortable to me. I am, at my core, a writer of short stories not long form fiction. So bear with me as I experiment and see how I can strike a balance between executing my ideas and keeping my workload manageable.

[the-owl-tree]

How did Hollystar and Cinderheart's relationship start in poolverse?

friends to courting to covering up a murder buddies to awkward and distance to lovers my beloved :D

Like in canon, they were friends as apprentices and pretty good ones! Hollypaw got along with the sister trio really well, having a sometimes-not-so-friendly rivalry with Honeypaw, a laidback friendship with Poppypaw, and a really close friendship with Cinderpaw. There's no sparks yet as Hollypaw is wrestling with her crush on Willowpaw and the small fallout between them that happens when she returns to being a warrior.

Feelings later arise as young warriors where the two begin tentatively courting each other, ThunderClan settling into a (unknowingly brief) time of peace. This period is where they're both settling nicely into their own lives, really coming together in their identities and ambitions and places in their Clan. The two begin to drift when Hollyleaf begins to seek the role of deputy, her ambitions and distancing from Cinderheart causing a bit of rift in their courting.

Then the fire happens, and everything falls apart. Hollyleaf isn't the same, distant and snappy and angry and Cinderheart is unsure how to help. It's only when she catches Hollyleaf prowling out at sunrise, following Ashfur to the river...and messily murdering him, that she realizes something is very wrong. I've mentioned my HC for this before so i'll just breeze over this one, Cinderheart is the one who pushes the body in the river and cleans the blood and mud off of Hollyleaf.

Hollyleaf becomes very dependent and clingy to Cinderheart after the ordeal and Cinderheart, despite feeling awful about it, loves the way that she's gotten Hollyleaf "back". The dependence, the way they can both cling to each other...it makes her feel wretched about how good it feels. It's their binding secret, the glue that keeps them together.

Until it's not.

The gathering goes the same in canon, Cinderheart wails in betrayal at what Hollyleaf's done, and in the end, Hollyleaf disappears into the tunnels. Cinderheart is left angry and betrayed and heartbroken, spending a good amount of OOTS in a depression at what's happened. I'm tempted to have her and Lionblaze briefly enter a mateship for a little bit, but eh not sure what it adds other than giving canon a nod.

When Hollyleaf returns from the tunnel, the two avoid each other for a bit. I'm tempted to have someone give Hollyleaf the push to talk to Cinderheart, leaning to either Squilf or Jayfeather (they need to be blunt to snap her out of her daze!). Eventually, the two do talk things out and steadily become on good terms again...then to friends...and once again confidants.

It's only when the great battle is over, when the two realize that they've won and both of them immediately begin racing across the territories to find each other and make sure they're alright, practically crashing into one another as they cling onto each in an embrace that they realize they can try again. The great battle aftermath is where they officially become mates with noooo problems at all-

hey bramble where you going. whaddya mean holly is leader now hEY WAIT-

but thank you for asking!! some ideas i've had to play around with these two's relationship in poolverse is:

hollystar learns cinderheart is a reincarnated cat. she says something stupid lol

cinderheart and hollystar talk about holly's reluctance to let poolkit near leafpool. (since holly is living, i'm keeping the wonky relationship for character development)

a short one but i like the idea of the two talking about their apprenticehood crushes. hollystar is very surprised at how every cat seemed to know she had a big dumb crush on willowpaw